Hematological and Pro-inflammatory Immune Profiles in Patients with Cystic Echinococcosis: A Comparative Study of Total and Differential White Blood Cell Counts
Hussein O. Kready, Amer Murhum AL-Amery and Kais Kassim Ghaima
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65204/DJMS-MAY-H-PIIPKeywords:
Echinococcosis, Hydatid Cyst, Leukocytes, Echinococcus granulosusAbstract
Cystic echinococcosis (CE), caused by Echinococcus granulosus, represents a chronic zoonotic infectious disease characterized by complex immune responses in the host. This study evaluated total and differential counts of white blood cells (WBCs) as well as interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in serum from patients with hydatid disease compared to matched healthy controls. Fifty-one patients diagnosed with cystic echinococcosis and twenty-nine matched healthy controls in terms of age and sex were enrolled in this study. Automated complete blood count (CBC) analysis was performed for evaluation of the hematological parameters and ELISA was used for evaluation of the cytokines. Results revealed significantly elevated total WBC counts among patients >15 years of age, but not in the <15 group (p < 0.05). The differential analysis revealed eosinophilia in all groups of infected persons compared to healthy controls for each group; elevated proportions of neutrophils and decreased proportions of lymphocytes compared with healthy controls were also present in all groups of infected persons compared to healthy controls. The absolute eosinophil counts from the patients (277-371/mm³) were significantly greater than those of the controls (91-127/mm³). The mean concentration parameters for cytokines from patients had indicated an average of 14 times as much IFN-γ (119.05 vs. 81.22 pg/ml, p=<.05) and 3 times more TNF-α (161.50 vs. 58.06 pg/ml), relative to control subjects. These results suggest that CE demonstrates a clear predominance of a Th1-like immune response coupled with significant alterations of peripheral leukocytes. Based on the findings related to the hematology and cytokine parameters, additional potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and follow up of CE exist.
